May 1, 2005 :: New York Times :: News
North Korea on Sunday, May 1, conducted a successful test of a short range missile which traveled some 65 miles (104km) into the Sea of Japan.
Andrew Card, the White House chief of staff, confirmed the missile launch but played down its military significance: “The North Koreans have tested their missiles before.” As to their motivation, he said, “I think they’re looking to kind of be bullies in the world.” Vice Admiral Lowell E. Jacoby, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, warned on Thursday before the Senate Armed Services Committee that North Korea has the ability to deliver a nuclear-armed long range missile to American territory. The short range missile may have been a land-to-ship missile.
Despite its moratorium on missile tests—which it recently repudiated—North Korea has intermittently tested short-range missiles off its east coast, including a launching in February 2003, according to the New York Times.
Update: On May 3, the South Korean JoonAng Daily reports that South Korean military officials report that an analysis of the North’s test reveals upgrades to short range rockets, both in terms of guidance systems and range. “Tracking the trajectory of the missile, it appeared to be a ballistic missile, not a cruise missile such as Silkworm,” said one military official quoted by the paper, adding that the missile appeared to be equipped with a guidance system using an inertial navigation system to increase its accuracy; “If the North Koreans upgraded their FROG-7 rockets to ground-to-ground missiles with ranges of 100 to 200 kilometers (62 to 124 miles), the U.S. military bases to be relocated to Pyeongtaek by 2008 will fall under their range.” An excerpt from JoonAng Daily about the older FROG-7 Soviet missile, from which the South Korean missile tested may be derived:
First developed in 1965, the FROG-7s, built by the Soviet Union, were exported to North Korea and other communist countries. The FROGs are classified as rockets because they do not have a guidance system. They have a 70-kilometer range, and the International Institute for Strategic Studies said North Korea operates about 24 FROGs.
With its long-range artillery and 240-millimeter multiple-launch rocket systems near the border with South Korea, the military in North Korea has been capable of attacking targets within a 70-kilometer range, including U.S. bases north of Seoul as well as the Yongsan Garrison in the capital. After U.S. forces relocate their bases to Osan and Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul, American troops were expected to be out of the North’s range.
Pyongyang has 500 SCUD-B missiles with a 340-kilometer range, but military officials said they could not be used for closer targets.
Another military official said North Korea has sufficient expertise to upgrade their FROG-7s to increase their range, and increase their accuracy by installing inertial navigation systems.
Without a guidance system, the FROGs would only be accurate to within 700 meters of a target.
A navigation system would reduce the probable error to 100 meters, the official said.
Because FROGs can be loaded on vehicles, officials said the weapons would be difficult for South Korea and the United States to track. The 9.4-meter (30-foot) long and 2.5-ton missiles are also hard to intercept, they said, because flight time of short-range missiles with a 100-kilometer range is no more than 3 minutes. (Article)
» May 2, 2005: Possible failed launch on April 29
» March 3, 2005: North Korea says no longer bound by missile moratorium
» May 3, 2005: South Korean Military says test was of newer, Russian-derived missile
» More stories on: North Korea, Testing - Foreign
» Missile details: FROG-7B
